Victoria English Country
Dance Society

Callers and . . . Dance Calling

For any local dancer -- a dance calling Feedback Book has been
placed in the hall. Please feel free to enter requests or
timely
feedback of any kind (a dance or figure really enjoyed, a presentation
or teaching approach enjoyed, or one that left one confused or
uncomfortable, it's all fodder)

One may also write the webmaster or speak with any caller
to submit feedback

VECDS callers may suggest/request
posting
of material thought useful for this page. Send suggestion or material to the webmaster

Music: When
considering inclusion of a dance in one's program it is nice to
ensure that our lovely musicians have the music available, to
support the dance and for their practise prior to the event

Please advise
the band leader (Ann S.) of
your program at least a week prior to the event you're calling,
earlier is better. When calling on an Open Band evening (Fourth Thursday) please submit music two weeks prior to the evening

Some other callers also appreciate word of your
program choices.

Please advise the webmaster and mail list manager of your program as dancers have requested it posted to the web site and mailed

Music Formats

- For the webmaster and news list manager, only the date, caller and list of dance names are desired

- For band and callers there is no standardised format, and at it's most basic need
be no more than the dance name, tune name if different from the dance, which Barnes vol. it is in,
tempo (if known/available) and if it's NIB ("Not in Barnes")

Indian
Queen, B1

however some examples of a program (for band, or other callers) are below

These are longways
sets, duple & triple minor, time signature, musical key (in Barnes, other publications) [local
key], music parts pattern, music for both
is in Barnes I & The Playford Ball. HRO is on the second CD of
The
Dancehall Players, in Am.

Below is one possible entry for a Whole Set dance for 3 couples,
longways, 2s improper

VECDS holds copies of Peter Barnes
books of music for
ECD Vol.
I & II, also The Playford
Ball - 103 Early English Country Dances

Is
the music in Barnes? Don't have your own copy of Barnes? Need an index to
them? Elderly
Instruments posts both book
I & II indices.
I keep a copy of them, in text form, on my own computer (for "off-line
planning"! One can have the computer do word searches)

Some entries for country dance music show NIB,
Not In Barnes. If it's not it's up to us to find it, check it with the
band leader and then provide enough copies (5) for the first Thursday
evening it is played. After that they'll be filed in the binder
collection where we can look for them later. Please do that, vs
printing and printing and re-printing that which is in there.

A new dance?

If
you
are calling a new-to-us dance/piece of music please provide
the
music to the band
leader. A soft copy at least two weeks in advance, five hard copies
the night of dance. Please check in our NIB collection of binders

It is a kindness to discuss what that piece may be, earlier than might
be the case with familiar program material

If you're attempting to deduce what that dance or music in a popular film or show was try the Old Dominion Dance listing of English Country Dance in Film.

Our locally held collection of dance
calling/teaching resources

VECDS holds copies of the following. Please submit any
suggestions for inclusion in a future purchase, or information or
material we hold that has been overlooked:

Dance sheet music:

The Barnes Book of English Country Dance Tunes ("Vol 1", "Blue
Barnes")
Barnes Book of English Country Dance Tunes, Vol 2 ("Red Barnes")
The Playford
Ball - 103 Early English Country Dances (uniquely contains historical
context & directions, interpreted directions and music notation)
A large, six binder local collection of NIB music. This is only
partially indexed. Barbara B. is the music librarian

A Finite Set of Calculated Figures, Vol. 6 : A Set of Fifteen English and American dances, by Gary
Roodman (x2)
A Number of Calculated Figures: Dances from Gary Roodman
The Apted Book of Country Dances
Dance and Danceability : A Programme of Dances Published in Jane
Austen's Time
Dances from Barnes Two
Fast Friends: Gary Roodman
Dances for Vol. 15 of the CDS Boston Collection
Multiple Calculated Figures: Dances from Gary Roodman
New Friends: A Second Selection of Dances from Gary Roodman<
br>
Old Friends: A Selection of Dances from Gary Roodman
Pat Shaw Collection, Book 3
Gift of a collection of dance books/directions & other material
donated by David Gallop - list [PDF]

Calling notes:

Dances for a Crowded Hall : Self-Contained English Dances
Notes on Teaching Country Dance, by Bruce Hamilton

Dance music recordings:

Compact Cassette tapes:
A large collection donated by David
Gallop - index [PDF], now searchable

A
few local callers are quite willing to loan publications or
recordings that someone may learn to call a dance or build a dance
program. Look for a possible listing here this year, or ask/post on the
caller mailing list

Sound:

Stuck doing sound, along with calling? 1. Why? Get some
help!, or 2. What is really required here?

Wondering how to respond
to crys for change or soto voce suggestions that "Something is wrong",
"We can't hear you", or the classic, "Turn it up."?

It's less likely an
issue with volume, more likely
frequency adjustment or more appropriate microphone handling or
alignment is required, by you. Speak closely
and clearly into it, speak along it's long
axis, aka "Don't hold it
like
an
ice cream cone."

A new microphone (and some sound board control info) tutorial provided by Trevor is available [PDF]

Looking for some more
technical info? Check out the Contra Sound (Contra SF) list/Group
on Yahoo! (once a member one may search the useful material in the
archives.)

Local dance community "sound reinforcement" folks
include Trevor
I., Doug B., David C., Jeff M., David K., Alan L., Molly N., JD and others.
Several have
gear for rent or use

Dance Caller E-mail messaging list-server

Our collective "address book". It's info page may be found here.
Subscribe there, go NOMAIL during a vacation, change your address and
so on, all from that page. Links to the list adminstrators may be found
there as well

If you're a caller and the above makes your eyes glaze and head spin, then just write the webmaster